"GOAT coach???" - Skip Bayless questions Bill Belichick's NFL legacy after Patriots' playoffs defeat vs Bills
Bill Belichick likely wishes he could forget Saturday's wild-card loss. The New England Patriots' 47-17 loss to their AFC East rival, the Buffalo Bills, is one of Belichick's worst losses of his coaching career.
Fans and analysts alike jumped at the opportunity to go after Belichick, including Skip Bayless. Bayless is known for his eccentric personality and sprees of tweets.
Throughout the Bills' dominating win, Bayless questioned Belichick's status as the greatest head coach in NFL history numerous times.
Has Bill Belichick's coaching career been overestimated?
Bayless' first of four tweets came at halftime, when the Bills were winning 27-3. The Bills' offense scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives, as Belichick's defense had no answers for Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen.
Bayless is a big fan of Tom Brady, and used Mac Jones' first-half struggles to announce that Brady is better than Jones and Belichick.
Buffalo 27, Bill 3 at halftime. Advantage: Tom.
The Bills' offense continued to find its rhythm even after halftime. They scored touchdowns on their next two drives.
That accomplishment was never achieved in the Super Bowl era, giving Bayless more material to use.
Bayless argued that Brady was responsible for Bill Belichick's accolades and reputation.
Wait, the Bills have scored 6 touchdowns on 6 possessions against a BILL BELICHICK defense? That's never been done before in a playoff game in the SBowl era??? Could that possibly mean Belichick became the "GOAT" coach mostly because he had the GOAT quarterback? Counterfeit Bill.
As the Patriots' struggles worsened, Bayless continued to push his agenda. He brought up some of Belichick's worst career moments.
Super Bowl losses to the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles were among Belichick's low-points brought up by Bayless.
Belichick's controversial decision to bench star cornerback Malcolm Butler before the start of Super Bowl LII also resurfaced in Bayless' point.
Brady handed Belichick a 14-10 lead w 2 mins left in the SBowl. His D allowed Eli to go 75 yds for the winning TD. Brady threw for a playoff record 505 vs Philly and scored 33. Belichick's D allowed 41 to Philly's backup QB, mysteriously benched Malcolm Butler. GOAT coach???
Finally, Bayless' last tweet was a comparison between Brady and Jones. Jones threw for 232 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a losing effort.
Bayless' bias towards Brady was on full display when comparing the two.
Mac Jones is about as close to Tom Brady as I am to Buffalo. I'm in Los Angeles.
Bayless was unrelenting in his criticism towards Belichick. Belichick's defense failed to impose their will on the Bills.
His offense was ineffective at moving the chains. Thus, Bayless' criticism has merit.
Bill Belichick's coaching ability faces more questions than at any point in his career with the Patriots. Considering this was supposed to be a bridge season leading to better results, a 10-7 season with a wild-card exit isn't too bad.
The Patriots have a lot of talent going into the 2022 season. Most importantly, they have a quarterback they can trust to build around in Jones.
Whether Belichick is deserving of the praise he receives is a conversation for another day.
But the roadmap leading to the Patriots having better days ahead is laid out in front of them. It's up to Bill Belichick to prove his skeptics wrong and maximize his roster's talent.
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